The Truth About Renée Zellweger And Bradley Cooper's Former Relationship

It may not seem like it, but 2009 was a very long time ago, which is why you've probably forgotten that "A Star Is Born" star Bradley Cooper and Renée Zellweger were an item at the time. Initially meeting on the set of the film "Case 39" in 2006 (via Cheat Sheet), the couple became romantically involved two years later. Their relationship just so happened to occur after Cooper starred in "Yes Man," a film starring Zellweger's ex-fiancé Jim Carrey. Having been engaged for a year between 1999 and 2000, Carrey has even gone so far as to call Zellweger the "great love of his life" in his book, "Memoirs and Misinformation," published in 2020, per the Independent. 

Regardless, Cooper and Zellweger's relationship moved pretty quickly after they officially started dating. By December 2009, they had reportedly spent the holidays together with Cooper's parents, according to People. They were spotted celebrating in Los Angeles at the time, and Zellweger was seen going on shopping trips with Cooper's mom Gloria. "Renée seems to get along really well with Bradley's parents," a source told People. "They were laughing and seemed to have a great time strolling around Venice."

It was during the aforementioned holidays that the couple spoke about each other publicly for the first time. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in a now-deleted post (via People), Bradley Cooper said he couldn't "say enough about her," adding that he couldn't believe that he was going to work with her, referring to their first movie together. "I just love her," Cooper added. "I [loved] coming to work. I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her."

By the beginning of 2010, things seemed to be getting serious between Cooper and Renée Zellweger. They were spotted house-hunting together a month previously, and by January they had reportedly moved into a home worth $4.7 million in the Pacific Palisades, per HuffPost. Zellweger was also spotted in the front row of Cooper's emotional episode of "Inside the Actor's Studio" a year later, sitting beside his parents (via YouTube).

But shortly after the actor's appearance on the show, it came to light that the couple had parted ways.

Rumors started to circulate that Bradley Cooper had cheated on Renée Zellweger, but a friend of the actor told the Daily Mail that if they "had to pick any possible mistress it would be Brad's career." They continued: "He worked really hard to get into leading man status." Another source told Us Weekly that the couple had split due to Zellweger realizing it just wasn't working out.

But another source told Pop Eater in a since-deleted post (via Glamour) that the breakup was actually down to the possibility of starting a family. According to the source, the actress was "starting to think about children and settling down," while at the time Cooper loved "his life exactly as it" was — i.e. "enjoying all the perks, fame and opportunities that have come his way."

While the actual reason for why they split up will remain a mystery, they seem to be very amicable with one another. At the 2020 Oscars, where Zellweger won the award for Best Actress for her role in "Judy," the two looked really happy to see each other during the ceremony (via Harper's Bazaar).